What's in a Bakugan?
by Stephy825
Summary: Bakugan is all the rage these days and new brawlers are popping up in all parts of the world. Gale is one of them, but he doesn't see Bakugan as a means to win. He sees them as his closest friends. This becomes a problem when he meets Leonidas.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It was dark and damp...and the air around him felt cold and tense.

How strange, he was sure he was in his room just a couple moments ago.

The darkness seemed to stretch in all directions and kept going on forever, as if it has no end.

There was infinite darkness.

The lone boy decided to move around and see if he was just dreaming, but the stillness and silence crept on him, making the child lose his ability to think properly.

At some point, he was able to see a small light. Not bright, but it was in any case something in the thick black space he was in.

The boy soon found out he was in a tunnel, and saw that he was standing on a barren wasteland. The ground was colored in death gray and the sky above him looked empty. Red and purple swirled around, and the area seemed void of life...

Until he realized what he was looking at right in front of him.

He jumped and took a few steps back when he saw the statue near his face. What stunned him was that it seemed to be some sort of creature in a petrified state…and looked as if it was never going to break out of it. The creature's expression was filled with fear, resentment, shock, anger and hate...at least, that was what the child felt radiating from the statue. The boy scanned his surroundings and saw there were many more like it, but each of them was different. The only similarity they had was that they were all in stone...and in a way, dead.

He continued to wander in the desolate area; passing by dragons that probably have possessed great power, birds that could have flew higher than no other could have done, marine beasts that may have dominated the seas and oceans...and many other kinds of creatures that have fallen to the same fate. The kid had encountered not one living thing, yet he hoped he would do so soon. He felt very uncomfortable in a place like this...

Out of the blue, the scene around him began to alter greatly. And then, the boy found himself floating; the ground below him had completely disappeared. What replaced it was the fiery landscape that strangely didn't hurt him. The flames seemed to be an illusion…well he wished they were, if not, then he had to stay away from the edges as much as possible.

Suddenly he heard a roar, loud enough to blow his eardrums if ever. Someone or something then approached him, which then took the form of a large white dragon. The creature looked like a skeleton and it seemed as if the dragon was glaring at him, which frightened him greatly.

_"Silent...Core..."_ a dark and low voice came out of nowhere. The child guessed that it came from the dragon, but how can that be..?

_"You...boy...will be...the final piece...in my plan..."_

_

* * *

_**A/N : **Okay okay, it's short. I know. It's a prologue! What do you expect? Anyhow, yeah...another story idea. But I've had this chapter for quite some time now...maybe a month? I decided to post it only now though.

Uuh, review please.


	2. Morning and Bakugan

Chapter 1 - Morning and Bakugan

Gale woke up with a start; his whole body was sweaty and he was panting while trying to register what he had seen. "Was that...really a dream..?" he mumbled as he told himself to calm down. The boy let out a sigh as he kicked off the blanket on him and stood up from his bed. His crimson red hair was slightly ruffled from his sleep, and his green eyes were a little teary after stifling a yawn. The child was in his light blue pajamas, and decided to change out of them as soon as possible. The sweat was making him feel very uncomfortable since it reminded him of what he saw. It felt strange to him; this was the first time that he had witnessed something so clear...and to remember every little detail as well.

Gale decided to not let it bother him that much. Yet he kept it in mind in case he needed it. "Come to think of it...those creatures..." he continued to mutter while trying to figure out his dream. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his aunt calling for him downstairs to eat his breakfast. "Coming." he answered then exhaled afterward.

"Gale?" a voice came from his brown cabinet. He turned and saw a small white ball with yellow markings rolling towards him. It then stopped and opened up showing two wings at the top and its face under them. The sphere-shaped object also had a sign that resembled a five-pointed star. "Are you alright?" it asked.

The child smiled back at the bakugan. "Yeah, I'm fine Haos Falconeer."

At that point more balls emerged from their resting areas and opened up like the previous one. There was a brown one that looked like a triceratops and had armor on its arms. There was also a green snake-like bakugan and a blue tortoise one too. The last capsule that came out resembled a lion with wings that was color red.

"Remember we're here to assist you Gale. We still need to repay you for letting us stay in your home." the lion bakugan said.

"Thanks Pyrus Griffon, but I'm fine. Really." the boy began to do his usual daily routine, and soon was ready to go to school. He opened up his dark-blue bad and the bakugan jumped in willingly. Sighing once more, he opened the door to his room and ran downstairs to where his edgy aunt was waiting. "We don't have all day Gale! Now _eat_!"

"Okay okay..._sorry_." he apologized as he started to eat his meal. After a few minutes of silence besides the constant tapping from his relative's shoe in impatience, he was done and left the spoon on the bowl. "Thank you for the food." he muttered while slinging the backpack on his shoulder and opening the door. "Did you study for your quiz today?"

"Yeah..."

"Sure you're going to perfect it this time?" the red-haired boy nodded. "See you later." and then he closed the door.

-o-

The boy sighed in relief as he walked to his school. Honestly, he didn't study...but not that he needed to. It was just Math anyway. As long as he knew how to do the steps he'll be fine...that's what he kept telling to himself. Besides, the Bakugan in his bag would always spot the small errors in his answers when he takes the quiz. Not that he does it on purpose; they just want to help him out.

The Bakugan in his backpack are actually _runaway_ Bakugan. They've deserted their owners for various reasons...most often how they are treated. It has been happening all around the world recently...even Bakugan that don't talk can and may desert their partners if they think they have had enough. Many tend to wander around Earth; lost until they find someone they feel they can trust. Others become loners and challenge brawlers in an effort to become stronger.

For some reason, Gale had the ability to speak to all Bakugan. Whichever kind or attribute, he can converse with them directly as if they were good friends. It's not a secret either, and because of that, many people who use Bakugan in his school come to him and ask for...well, a bunch of things.

Through all that though, the boy has never tried to brawl before.

"We're here guys..." he muttered as he stared at the school building past the gate. Yet before he could go in, he was tackled by an energetic brunette. "Yo!" he greeted.

"Ouch, not so hard next time Dan..." he said while wincing in pain.

"Oh. Sorry about that Gale. I thought you were late for class you see." he smiled. "Come on! We better get to the classroom before teacher-" he shuddered. "-well, you know." Dan grabbed his wrist in the same fashion he does with his other friends and pulled him along.

Yep, Gale never tried brawling before even though his friend was a brawling addict...and the person who created the game.

-o-

"There's a quiz today?" the brown-haired male shouted as his eyes pleaded that it wasn't true. Sadly for him, his friend nodded. "You didn't study for it again huh." the red head replied mildly.

He exhaled sharply as Dan did the puppy-dog face. "Pleaase help me!"

"Okay okay..."

"Woohoo! Thanks Gale!" and so the study session began on Operation of Integers.

"You get addition?" a nod. "Subtraction." the brunette shook his head.

"Fine, let's start with something easy first. What's positive fifteen minus negative seven?"

"Uuh...eight?"

Gale sighed again. This is not what he had in mind in spending his morning before classes.

* * *

**A/N : **I already have forgotten what lessons I had when I was in Grade 6...meh, oh well. Not that anyone really cares anyway.

So as you can plainly see, this is my OC story for the Bakugan video game. I've been wanting to do this for some time...but I've been having writer's block for this chapter. So I only finished it now...hehehe. I'm getting obsessed with Bakugan. O.O

Please Review!


	3. Partners

Chapter 2 - Partners

"So Dan, how was it?" he asked with a bored expression while his chin was resting on his palm. Class just finished, and the crimson-haired child was sitting on his desk; the other boy was standing beside his chair.

"My hands feel like spaghetti..." the brunette whined back. Gale sighed. "Dan, it wasn't that hard."

"Says the person who's a genius at math."

"I'm not a genius, I just listen to class unlike some people who prefer to brawl." the word _'brawl' _seemed to have lifted the red-eyed boy's spirit back to normal. "Oh yeah! You sure you're not going to try brawling?"

"For the thousandth time no. I don't even know anything about Bakugan." the second sentence was a lie. After all, he had those same things they were talking about in his backpack.

"But everyone here calls you the _'Bakugan's Keeper'_...just try it. _Once_." Gale shook his head. "_Pleeaase_?" he pleaded.

"_Dan_-!" he was interrupted when his bag started moving by itself, making the brunette look at it in surprise and the other boy panic. To his horror the wiggling wouldn't stop, and soon enough the zipper gave way and out came the five different attributed Bakugan. "Master Gale!" they all said in unison. The ball-shaped creatures then rolled on his desk and opened up all in front of Dan. The red head simply face-palmed. "Guys, I told you to stay inside my bag unless there was an emergency." he muttered with annoyance and anger.

"It _was_ an emergency Master Gale!" Subterra Saurus spoke up. "Aquos Juggernoid wouldn't stop pushing us and we were getting crowded in the dark!" Ventus Serpenoid added.

"It was your fault for being so darn big!" the turtle Bakugan retorted.

"We're the same size stupid!" Saurus snapped.

"Nuh uh!" the Aquos Bakugan yelled.

"Yuh uh!" the two other Bakugan shouted in unison.

"NUH UH!"

"YUH UH!"

"Stop this bickering at once! You're all acting like children!" Haos Falconeer shouted while she was fuming. That didn't stop the three Bakugan from arguing though.

"In short, the three couldn't stand each other together and began to fight." Pyrus Griffon said mildly after turning to Gale.

"So you do have Bakugan with you after all!" Dan said in surprise. The other boy avoided his friend's gaze in guilt. He had thought that with all the requests he's been given, this would push the brunette to make him brawl. He didn't want that, so he tried to keep the meetings with his clients secret, and his ability only as a rumor. It worked for a couple of weeks, but as the news spread around the campus, he feared that it would be discovered sooner or later. Gale didn't expect though that his Bakugan were the ones that spoiled it.

He turned back to the brown-haired boy and did a small bow. "I'm sorry that I lied to you Dan...but I really don't want to brawl...that's why I kept these guys hidden from you..." he muttered in a apologetic tone.

The boy was surprised to be pat on the shoulder. "If you don't want to do it that badly, then don't." the brunette smiled. "You don't have to worry about anything. I forgive you."

"R-really..?"

"Yep! Now can you tell me how you got this cool collection of Bakugan?" he asked with his eyes sparkling in excitement.

"Well...technically, they aren't mine...I bring them to school in hopes for one of them to be taken in with a good brawler." he started. "These Bakugan have deserted their previous partners for various reasons...though I assure you they're not evil in any way. Since this school is filled with people who are inexperienced and stuff, I thought that they can make good brawlers for them."

"It's like adoption except with Bakugan."

"Something like that." Gale was happy that Dan was catching on quickly. "If that's the case, can I have that lion Bakugan?"

"Huh? You mean Pyrus Griffon?"

"Yeah! Remember? I'm a Pyrus Brawler! And I'm sure Griffon would be a cool addition to the team!" he beamed. The crimson-haired boy turned to the ball-shaped creature, then back at the brunette. "In normal circumstances, I would have tested your other Bakugan's friendship with you...but knowing you Dan, I'm sure you'll take good care of him." Gale smiled. He then picked the Pyrus Bakugan up and let it roll on Dan's open palm. Out of the blue, another Bakugan popped out of the child's shoulder and flew to Griffon. "Nice to meet you." the dragon-looking Bakugan started. Gale noted how deep his voice was.

"It is an honor to be fighting alongside you Drago." he replied.

"Hey Drago, how do you like your new teammate?" the brown-haired male asked.

"I'm sure he'll be of great help."

"Great!" the boy faced his friend. "This is so cool Gale! I'm sure you'll be able to let the other Bakugan have great partners too!"

"Thank you Master Gale...for giving me a new home." the red head nodded in response. "You're welcome Dan, Drago and Pyrus Griffon."

"Wait, you heard Drago talk?" Dan questioned in surprise.

"Yeah. Griffon and the others as well."

"Really? But how come I didn't hear anything..?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. But for some reason I can talk to all kinds of Bakugan even if it's my first time meeting with them."

"That's awesome! I wish I can do that!"

"It's kinda strange though that it never came up before I was-" he stopped mid-sentence; his eyes suddenly showing a hint of fear and doubt.

"Before you were what?" he pressed with his curiosity piqued.

"Uhm, nothing. It's not that important anyway."

"If you say so..." the brunette muttered. "Anyway, I better get back to my class...see you at lunch Gale!" he then sped off the door with the two Bakugan before the child could reply.

"...you too Dan." he smiled.

-o-

It was finally lunch time in the school and Gale was starving. He recalled feeling his stomach grumble about five times in class and groaned. "I better eat something before I collapse from hunger." unfortunately right after he stood up from his seat, a girl with dark-brown pig-tailed hair approached him. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"That isn't a way to treat a lady such as myself Gale. But let's get to the point." she smirked. "What Bakugan do you have with you today?"

Gale did not like that sneer one bit, but he reluctantly told his friends to come out of his backpack and present themselves to the student. "I want...that one." she pointed at Aquos Juggernoid with her index finger.

"Do you have another Bakugan with you?" she nodded and took one of her own out from her pocket and showed it to the boy. It then opened and looked at him with a neutral expression. His voice though said otherwise. "You would be the dumbest human in my book if you hand him to her." Aquos Reaper muttered. "She treats us like tools, and she's really self-centered. You don't need to place any pity on me...I've already done that to myself a million times before. None of us don't have the courage to actually run away from her though. Besides, she has some skill and experience under her belt. Still, it'll be better to find a better partner for that Juggernoid."

"Interesting. Nice talking to you Aquos Reaper." the red head replied.

"I like you kid. It feels nice to talk to someone else other than the Bakugan with her."

"So what did it say?" the girl cut in. "I'm sure it said that I'm really beautiful and I'm good at brawling right?"

"Sorry, but you're not qualified to take Aquos Juggernoid." her calm face suddenly changed to disbelief and anger. "What do you mean not qualified? I'm more qualified than everybody else! I haven't lost a single battle and all my Bakugan like me!"

"Look, no matter how much you plead, I'm not giving him to you. I'll look for someone else to be his partner-" out of the blue, the girl lunged at him and grabbed his collar. Gale was heavily caught off-guard and was frozen in place by her death glare. "You know, I hate it when people don't give me what I want." she muttered darkly; her voice eerily low and creepy. "If you won't let me have him, then let's brawl."

"Woah woah, I don't brawl at all-"

"Then you have no use for hanging on to them right? I'll take them off your hands."

"No way-"

"Either that Aquos Bakugan or a brawl. What do you say Gale?" the boy gulped.

"Master Gale...it's okay. I'll go with her." Aquos Juggernoid suddenly spoke up through the intense silence. "_No_." he murmured back, which surprised the Bakugan. He then pushed the girl away from him and wore a more serious expression. "You want a brawl? Fine, whoever wins gets to keep Juggernoid. Clear?"

"Crystal."

"Then let's-"

"Gale!" they were both shocked to see Dan rushing in the classroom while panting hard. "I thought we were gonna meet down-" he then gaped. "-are you going to battle each other?" he shouted.

"Yep, he won't give me Aquos Juggernoid so I suggested a brawl." the girl sneered.

"Y-yeah..." his confidence disappearing. The crimson-haired boy glanced at the brunette and mouthed _"Take over"_ as he pretended to take out a field card (which was actually a gate card) from his backpack.

"Ready?" the student asked.

"No." he replied.

"Great! **Field**..."

"**Open!**" to her shock, it was Dan that finished the sentence and not Gale. In result, it was the brunette and the girl who were taken to a different dimension while the red head remained frozen in time. "W-what? Why are you here?"

"Because nobody picks on my friends, that's why." Dan replied while holding a black card in his hand and Drago floating beside him. "Now let's get started shall we?"

* * *

**A/N : **The short word count may be from the over-use of dialogues in the chapter...anyway, kind of sneaky of Gale to switch with Dan. But you can't blame him since he doesn't have the slightest clue how to even battle. I think the gate card came with one of the Bakugan he was with.

Honestly, I've never tried doing a Bakugan Brawl before...and I haven't read one either since this fandom is mostly filled with romance fics *bleh* I'll try my best to describe what's going on and I'll try to follow the rules...I guess.

Please Review!


	4. Encounters

Chapter 3 - Encounters

The girl huffed in annoyance as she glared at the brunette on the other side of the field. She knew that there was nothing that could change the situation she was in now; she had no choice but to accept the brawl. "Hey boy, if I win, then I get to keep the Aquos Bakugan I wanted okay?" she shouted.

"Yeah yeah whatever." Dan replied. He's been itching to have a battle for some time now...he hasn't been in one for about a week. And with Drago with him, there was no way he could lose.

"**Gate Card, set!**" they both shouted as they threw a card on the open space adjacent of each other. The rectangular pieces expanded as it touched the ground and each shone a different color. The one that Dan threw was red, and the other was blue.

"Your turn first _girly_." the brunette smirked.

"I have a name you know. It's Miss Kaori to you!" she retorted.

"I have a name too, and it's Dan Kuso." the girl gritted her teeth in irritation as she held the light blue sphere in her palm. "You don't stand a chance against Aquos Siege! **Bakugan Brawl!**" throwing it hard, it landed on her Gate Card and burst open. "**Bakugan Stand!**" a bright blue light surrounded the Bakugan and out of it emerged a large knight-like creature that held a long spear.

**Aquos Siege = 350 Gs**

"We'll see about that!" Dan turned to his partner and smiled. "Ready Drago?"

"Always." the dragonoid replied as he closed back in to a ball.

"Okay! **Bakugan Brawl!**" he threw his Pyrus Bakugan on the field and landed on the same Gate Card as Anna. "**Bakugan Stand!**" a red shine appeared and a large red-scaled dragon came out of it, stretched it wings and roared.

**Drago = 340 Gs**

The Pyrus Bakugan eyed his opponent carefully. "We'll see if you are as tough as you think you are." he muttered.

"Let's go!"

-o-

Gale blinked once, and saw that the girl fell on her knees; crying while Dan did his signature nose-flick. "It's over?" the crimson-haired boy asked, surprised that it ended so quickly. He had never seen a battle this up close before...well, he heard that the battles were sent to a different dimension or something of the sort, but he never expected the time lapse part.

"Now you see why other people rarely ever watch brawls." the brunette winked while Drago sat on his shoulder.

"I...I _lost_..." she cried as tears went down on her cheeks. "Y-you'll...you'll _pay_ for this! Both of you!" she shakily stood up and with a loud _'hmph'_ she left the classroom.

"Woah, that was close." Gale muttered. "Thanks for covering for me Dan. I owe ya one."

"Hehe, you already did with my math test right?" they both laughed lightly.

"I can't believe you were about to brawl her even though you said you didn't know how..."

"I couldn't let her take Juggernoid without a fight couldn't I? I am _the Bakugan's Keeper_ after all. Making sure that they get the best partners is one of my jobs."

"Well said boy." Drago commented. "You are a very kind human. You will make a great brawler Gale."

The boy sighed. "Well I don't think I'll be brawling anytime soon-" he was cut off by the sound of the bell ringing, signaling that they only have a few minutes left till the end of lunch. "_O-oh man_! I haven't eaten anything yet!" he said while panicking. "Bye Dan, I'm off to get some food! Look over the other Bakugan for me!"

"Sure!" the brunette responded as he waved at him before he left the room. When the brawler turned, he noticed that all of them were open and facing each other. He kind of envied his friend now...if he can talk to all Bakugan, then he would know what they were saying. Not only Drago, Tigrerra and the other Guardian Bakugan.

Out of the blue, Griffon jumped on the boy's shoulder and joined them in their conversation. The brunette really wished he could understand them...

"Hey um...what are you guys talking about?" he asked; interrupting them in their discussion. They all turned to him, and he quickly wished that he hadn't done that. "If you can hear me, say yes." Griffon suddenly muttered. The brunette was taken aback, how come he can hear them now? "Uuh, yes?"

"Well I'll be. I've never seen a human believe that quickly before." Saurus piped up.

"H-huh? What do you mean _believe_?"

"You humans think that we Bakugan can't talk huh? That's just rude. All of us can talk you know...well, except for Bakugans that don't have a mouth." Serpenoid said.

"What he means is that...from Gale, you believed that we can talk just like Drago. People don't share our communication pattern...normally one can do so if you have a powerful bond between each other..." Falconeer explained. "But I think that if two humans trust each other a lot...if you believe in Gale, the Bakugan with him will open up as well."

"Namely us." Griffon finished.

"Gale's special because he can talk to all Bakugan, even without a bond present." Juggernoid muttered.

"Uuh, okay then..." the brunette was trying to follow what they had told him. He only figured out that his partner can talk to him recently, so this was kind of a shock to him that other Bakugan can talk as well. It was looking a whole lot less like a game now...

The bell rang again for the second time, signaling Dan to go back to his classroom or he'll be late. "I have to go now you guys. Stay in the bad till Gale comes back okay?"

"Yeah yeah. It's not like this is our first time here in school." Saurus uttered with a snort.

The brunette glanced at them before breaking in to a run with Drago and Griffon floating behind him. A minute later, Gale entered the room and was panting at the same time. He tiredly went to his chair and lay down on the desk; closing his eyes.

"You alright Gale?" Falconeer asked.

"Mhm..." he replied. "What...did you tell Dan..?"

"Oh, nothing."

-o-

"Finally..!" the crimson-haired boy said aloud as he raised his arms up in the air. Everyone was looking at him since well, he had never reacted like this before to dismissal. Though all his classmates and even his teacher noticed how sleepy he was today. It was as if he was terribly tired and wanted to take a nap. Yet this was school; there was no time for that. Especially for a sixth grader.

Gale sluggishly grabbed the strap of his backpack and quickly left the room despite the concerned questions of his friends. Stifling a yawn, he made his way through the halls of the campus and outside. The sunlight was harsh, and his eyes squinted when he saw it. He wondered whether the dream he had this morning had to do with his current condition, but he was cut off when a certain brunette greeted him. "Hey Dan..."

"You don't look too well. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." he assured while showing a smile. "Sorry Dan, I can't really stay and chat. I still have to find these guys a home after all." the boy winked at him and glanced at his bag. The other boy immediately knew what he meant and nodded. "Sure, see ya tomorrow." and with that he left the scene as quickly as he came.

He inhaled deeply and sighed. Shaking his head to clear away his drowsiness, he walked past the gate and headed for the park. Many brawlers gather there to have battles with others. Most of them were newbies, and it was perfect for the Bakugan with him.

The place still looked the same as it always was when Gale stepped on the brown-colored path. There were trees surrounding the area to give it a more nature-like scene. A fountain sat on the middle of it all, and pigeons would normally be flocking nearby it too. There were also a couple of benches to take a rest on around the area, streetlights opened if the sky went dark, and kids were roaming around as well. It was almost strange for him to take note of the time lapses now. One moment two kids would bring out their field cards, and the next thing he knew, one would admit defeat and the other smirking happily.

The Bakugan were now floating beside him and scanning the area for anything interesting. The children here didn't know him too well, but they understood what he was here for. And that was observation. If they could put up a good show, then they knew that they might earn a new ally.

Of course, they didn't know that Gale couldn't brawl and didn't even possess a field card in the first place.

The twelve-year-old soon saw a young boy that appeared to be depressed. Curious, he approached him and introduced himself.

"My name is Christopher...nice to meet you Gale." he responded. The boy had light brown hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a simple blue and white outfit and was sitting on the bench when the crimson-haired male first saw him. "May I sit with you?"

He seemed surprised by his politeness. "Uuh, sure."

The twelve-year-old smiled as he sat down and sighed. "Are you a brawler?" Christopher asked while taking note of Aquos Juggernoid who was on Gale's shoulder at the time.

"No, I'm not." he replied mildly.

"A collector?"

"Nope."

"Then why do you have Bakugan with you?"

The older male grinned. "Because they are my friends."

Christopher didn't seem to get it. "How can they be your friends? You don't battle, and they can't talk either."

"That's where you're wrong kid." he muttered. "Anyhow, did something happen recently?"

"Huh?"

"You looked sad awhile ago."

"Oh..." the young child avoided his gaze. "I was beaten again by this guy named Travis...he does it often you see. He knows that I'm weak, and that he would win every time...which is true. I can never beat him, and if I go against him, then..." his voice trailed off; a look of fear in his eyes.

"I see..." Gale mumbled as he glanced at the other Bakugan. "What's your main attribute?"

"_A-aquos_...why?"

"Can I see one of your Bakugan?"

"Okay..." the boy rummaged through his pocket and got one of the spheres. He then showed it to him, and it opened up. The weird thing was, it wasn't speaking at all. Instead, it was shaking uncontrollably, as if frightened that something would attack it. The movement couldn't be seen by the naked eye though. Gale noticed it and sighed. "What's wrong?" Christopher asked.

"They're as scared as you are. They're even too scared to speak." he thought; ignoring the person's question. The red head suddenly grabbed Juggernoid and presented to the brunette. "This is Aquos Juggernoid. I want you to take good care of him okay?"

Christopher looked surprised. "You're giving it to me?"

"Not 'it', 'him'." he said with a hint of annoyance. He didn't like it if people called Bakugan by 'it'. But it couldn't be helped, and he told himself to calm down. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he'll be able to help you against your battle against Travis."

"Gale?" Juggernoid's voice echoed in his head. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive." he whispered back. "Remember Christopher..." he muttered as he stood up. "Bakugan aren't just toys...or tools either. You can become their friends...if you want to. You're free to choose whether you want to understand them or not. But also remember that they can leave whenever they want too." he gave him a small smile. "Good luck."

He then walked away and left a young, confused boy wondering to himself about his new partner. "Aquos...Juggernoid..."

-o-

It was already night time and Gale had just finished his dinner. As usual, he was sent straight to his room by his aunt and ordered to finish up all his homework before he slept. No computer tonight, it was a weekday after all. He exhaled sharply as he changed in to his pajamas and fell on the bed. Ventus Serpenoid and Haos Falconeer were already sleeping on two small pillows that were on his desk.

The twelve-year-old was about to turn off the light when he noticed that his window was still open. He groaned and stood up from his comfortable position to close it. Yet when he was about to do so, a portal suddenly opened up right in front of him. And as swiftly it had appeared it vanished, leaving a black card behind. Gale quickly shook himself after being stunned for a few seconds and picked it up. What happened next was something he did not expect at all.

A white Bakugan jumped out of it and began to hit him. "_Ow_! _Ow_! Hey, stop it!" he whined as he used his arms to shield himself from the tiny sphere.

"Where am I?" the creature growled as it floated back and placed some distance between them.

"In my room. On Earth." Gale replied while rubbing his head. Even in sphere form it had a lot of power and gave him a growing bump.

"_Earth_..? I'm not in Vestroia?"

"No, you're not. Who are you?" the Bakugan didn't reply to the question. "Don't have a name eh?" the crimson-haired boy looked around and grabbed a book from his study table. Skimming the pages, he smiled when he found a name that could suit the strong creature. "Can I call you Leonidas then?"

"...I don't care human. All I want to do is to defeat all other Bakugan in existence."

Gale already had a gut feeling that this Bakugan would turn his life upside-down. "Feel free to stay for the night then."

* * *

**A/N : **What stalled me wasn't how to do the battle, but more on what the person is going to say next...sorry that it took so long. Hope I didn't disappoint you guys!

Please Review and we'll see what Leonidas will do! Oh yeah, you guys do remember Christopher do you..? He's not an OC if you have forgotten.


	5. Deal

**A/N : **First of all, I terribly apologize that it took super super long. Actually, I did the most of this chapter quite some time ago, I just didn't know how to continue it. Soo...yeah. I'm sorry that it's pretty short, but then the next chapter will be filled with a whole lot of action okay? :D Yay, Leonidas enters~

Please Review guys! C:

* * *

Chapter 4 - Deal

"Why did you accept me so easily human?" Leonidas scowled as he struggled from Gale's grip on him.

"Because, I know you don't have a place to go Leonidas." he replied. "That's pretty much what I do...taking care of Bakugan."

"I don't need a home." the creature retorted. "All I want is to fight other Bakugan and take them down. And I never gave you the permission to call me that."

"What? It suits you." the twelve-year-old seemed amused. "You know, fighting would be impossible considering the state you are in now."

Leonidas grumbled as he was set down on the pillow of his bed. "...is there a way for me to become my true form?" in his tone, it was really obvious that he hated to show that he didn't know something.

"Well...yes. But we'll settle that tomorrow." Gale muttered in response as he went under his blanket. The Haos Bakugan gave in with a defeated groan and the child smiled. Closing the light, he mumbled good night to him before he fell asleep.

Leonidas never expected this at all; to be welcomed so quickly by a human boy. He was born in the Doom Dimension, and had wandered the barren wasteland for what seemed like forever. First, it was just him, but then recently more Bakugan were being sent there, and turning in to stone a few moments afterward. They couldn't stand the dark energy residing there. Ironic that those who died because of that gave birth to him. The Bakugan can still hear the numerous voices inside of him. Full of hate, despair, fear, and anger. He wished for so long to take it out on someone. Yet, why only one? He could destroy all other Bakugan. Just for them to know how he feels. To be trapped in the Doom Dimension. To be born in a place that was meant for death.

All of these thoughts were swirling inside of him...but every now and then he would glance around the now dark room; the full moon outside was the only source of light. He would hear the human's peaceful breathing right beside him and sigh. It was almost calming...like a _dream_. Staying there for so long...it's almost as if he escaping was a fantasy.

"This is...not a dream..." Leonidas muttered while closing himself in to his ball form. "...tomorrow will be the day I start to fulfill my goal...of destroying all Bakugan..."

-o-

Never did Leonidas think that if he did want to achieve his dream, he needed the help of a human. "-that's sort of the only possible way to fight in this world." Gale finished. "Oh, and don't think of going to Vestroia either. Most of the Bakugan have already fled to Earth because of some impending doom or something."

The Haos Bakugan growled in annoyance. "So I need you to even get out of this stupid capsule thing?"

"That would be the case." the boy smirked. The two of them were in school, and it was a couple of minutes before class would start. The red head decided not to bring any Bakugan with him today, but Leonidas somehow managed to sneak in and hide in his backpack. It was too late when Gale found out about it. So for the rest of the time, the boy had been explaining the knowledge he knew about brawling...well, as much as he knew from Dan rambling on and on about it that is.

"...grr, fine. I want you to assist me with this brawling-"

"Wait wait, hold up." he suddenly cut in. "I don't brawl Leonidas."

"_What_?" he yelled in anger. "What do you mean you don't brawl?"

"I...I just don't okay? Battling's not my style..." he smiled while pressing his two index fingers together.

"Great. There could be about...what? Billions of people in the world, and I get stuck with the one that doesn't pick fights." he thought in irritation. "-but Dan has been asking me to try-" the Bakugan heard the boy mumble to himself. He perked up and faced him, and as much as he hated it, he needed Gale to be his partner. Why him? Because he was sure that he was the only human that would truly help him at this very moment. Leonidas couldn't believe that he just admitted that to himself though.

"Can you at least try?" the Haos Bakugan asked; a hint of begging present in his voice. "You said that, you would assist any Bakugan. No matter what. So help me achieve my goal."

The child was silent for a few moments while closing his eyes. He soon looked at the creature with a serious expression. "I won't help you with your dream Leonidas."

"What?" he growled in anger. "Why-?"

"But I'm going to try brawling."

"Huh?"

"You said...that you wanted to defeat all other Bakugan right? I'll be your partner, but if you go any farther and start attacking others for no reason, you're on your own." Leonidas smirked. "Alright, deal."

Gale sighed. "I guess I am going to use those cards after all." he muttered as he unzipped his backpack and pulled out a couple of cards. "My friend Dan gave these to me before if ever I want to brawl. They aren't powerful or anything, but they should be able to last us a few rookie battles. If we earn s'more points, then we can buy more cards at the down town shop."

"Whatever you say kid. All I want to do is fight."

"Then we start after school then."

"Fine by me."

-o-

"You're going to try brawling?" the brunette shouted; completely shocked. "That's awesome Gale! I knew that you would join at some point!"

"Well actually, I didn't really want to..." out of the blue, Leonidas popped out of nowhere and landed right on his shoulder; growling softly when he saw the other human. "but this guy talked me in to it." the crimson-haired boy finished while showing a sheepish smile.

"Woah, is that a new Bakugan?" Dan asked while tried to touch the Haos creature. The Bakugan responded with a scowl, making the boy's finger flinch. "Sorry, he's...kinda touchy."

"Aah, that's okay. Anyway, if you're going to brawl, then I might as well teach you some of the basics eh?"

"I guess so...but, I don't even know..."

"Don't sweat it Gale. Now, do y'have the card that Leonidas came out of?" the boy reached in to his pocket and pulled it out. "Right here. This is a field card right?"

"Yep! Now let Dan's tutorial lesson begin!" he said with a toothy grin. "Ready Gale?"

The red-haired male nodded. "**Field**...**Open**!"


	6. Tutorial

Chapter 5 - Tutorial

"Woa~h...so this is what it looks like..." Gale muttered as he gaped in awe. The two boys were standing on a gray battle field; the sky above them didn't look like much of a sky at all. It was a black and red atmosphere with six different swirling vortexes on it. He wondered what they were until he realized the colors. "Dan, do those things have something to do with the six attributes..?" he asked while pointing at them.

"I think so." he replied. "Though I'm not entirely sure. Not everybody knows yet about who Bakugan really are. Honestly, I didn't know either until just recently..."

"Oh, I see." the crimson-haired male smiled. "So, how are we going to start this exactly..?"

The brunette smirked. "To start things up, both players have to throw down one of their gate cards. Keep in mind that you can only have three gate cards with you in battle. So y'have to choose carefully okay? After your pick, you throw it on the field like this!" he quickly grabbed a black card in his fingers and made a quick swipe; letting the card sail in the air until it fell on the ground. What surprised Gale was that the card expanded afterward and made a red colored ripple. "Once both of the players have placed down their gate cards, any of them can decide who will go first. Whoever goes first has to throw down their chosen Bakugan. Like gate cards, you can only hold three Bakugan in a battle unlike, thankfully, ability cards-I'll explain that later." Dan paused as he turned back to the field. "Ready Drago?"

"Of course."

"Alright, **Bakugan Brawl!**" he threw his partner on the gate card with surprising accuracy. It bounced a few times, but then settled in the middle, and popped open. "**Bakugan Stand!**" a bright red light glowed from the capsule and then Drago came out with a ring of fire that faded swiftly. The newbie brawler was taken aback, but then quickly regained his composure and stared at the Pyrus Bakugan in amazement. "Woah...so that's what Drago looks like..."

"Yep! Cool isn't it? Now, logically, to start a real battle, there have to be two Bakugan on the same gate card-"

"I never thought you use the word logically Dan." he interrupted while having a deadpan expression.

"-_hey_! I'm not that stupid! Anyhow, the rules here are simple. To win the battle, your Bakugan should have a higher G power than your opponent. If you win, you'll capture the gate card they're on even though it's your opponents. You don't get to keep their card though in reality, so don't think of it as stealing. And then, if you get to capture three gate cards, you win the whole thing! Pretty easy right?"

"But if that was all, then Bakugan wouldn't be so interesting now would it?" Gale commented.

"Uh huh! That's what gate cards and ability cards are for! Their main effect is to boost your G power in a battle, but then many cards have other effects too like decreasing your opponent's power or even stealing it, or sometimes you can flip the whole thing in reverse and let the lowest G power win. It depends really. By the way, you can activate gate cards any time in the middle of a battle. Don't ever forget that." he spoke rapidly. Fortunately, his friend was quite used to it already from hanging out with him so much. "I think...I get the gist of it..." he said while trying to process everything.

"That's good! So, you wanna try battling now?"

"Okay." the brunette smirked. "Great! I've always wanted to battle you Gale!-well, even though you're not that powerful yet."

For some reason, it was Leonidas that had the anime annoyed mark instead of said boy, who instead had a sweat-drop. "Oh yeah? You think you're so tough kid? You're going to regret those words!" he growled. The Haos Bakugan then faced his partner. "Hurry up Gale! I want to show this human a lesson!" he shouted as he closed back in to a smooth sphere. The boy sheepishly smiled, but nodded anyway. Taking the ball, he threw him with all the power he could muster. "**Bakugan Brawl!**" and even if he felt the throw was badly coordinated, he landed perfectly on the same gate card as Drago. "**Bakugan Stand!**"

A bright light surrounded Leonidas as his true form was now seen. He was also a large dragon with white skin and yellow horns on his face and wings. He also had a dark blue underbelly and stood upright like Dragon. For some reason though when Gale saw him for the first time, he felt a sudden pain in his head.

_Give it to me_

The crimson-haired boy groaned as the pain grew even more intense. Dan seemed to have noticed it too. "Gale? Gale what's wrong?"

_Give it to me now!_

"S-stop..." he muttered as he gritted his teeth and pressed his forehead; covering his eye. That didn't help though; the same eerie voice kept on echoing in his head. "Stop it..!"

_Foolish human, face the wrath of the Silent Core!_

For a split moment, he felt like his heart just stopped beating. He felt himself falling down; he couldn't move at all. He felt paralyzed and weak. He felt his body hitting the field with a loud thump. And then, everything just faded in to black.

-o-

"Gale! Gale! Wake up!" he felt himself being shook vigorously from his shoulders. As if waking up from a deep sleep, he slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times before he saw a pair of concerned red eyes staring right at him. The red-haired boy groaned loudly and rubbed the side of his head. The pain seemed to have vanished for some reason.

"Whew! For a sec I thought I have to call the hospital." the brunette placed his hand on his chest and sighed in relief. "It's a good thing that there weren't any people around too or they may have freaked out more than I did. But seriously, what happened to you? You just started shouting after Leonidas came out and then collapsed!"

"I-I'm not sure really..." he replied weakly. "I heard a voice in my head..."

"A voice?" Drago asked while sitting on Dan's shoulder as usual.

"Yeah. It said that I had to give something to it...and then..." _face the wrath of the Silent Core!_

"And then? Then what?" he pressed. There was a stiff silence between the two; not one of them speaking. Suddenly Gale tried to push himself up even though his entire body was trembling in doing so. "Where's Leonidas?"

"He's over there, but what-"

"...I'm sorry Dan. But I think I'll go back to my house and sleep early tonight." the boy walked towards the quiet Haos Bakugan and simply told him that he was going. Without another word, he went on top of his shoulder and stayed there; motionless. Gale glanced at his friend before giving an apologetic smile. "I'll see you tomorrow Dan." and with that, he left the area and headed home.

The brunette was still standing there and staring at the empty path. "I'm worried Drago. Is Gale really alright?"

"We could only hope he is Daniel." the Pyrus Bakugan muttered back in reply. He wasn't convinced though, yet there was nothing else he could do. "We might as well head home." his face then brightened up a little. "Mom's making curry tonight."

-o-

The crimson-haired boy didn't even bother eating dinner that night. He just said to his aunt that he'll do his assignments and go straight to bed. Even with her protests, he didn't really care. He was too tired to even do his homework now. Thankfully there wasn't much to begin with.

As soon as he got in to his room, he went straight for the bed and fell right on it with a small grunt. Leonidas flew over and landed softly on the white pillow. He hadn't said a single word ever since what happened to his new partner. Haos Falconeer and Ventus Serpenoid popped out of their resting places and were about to approach the boy until Leonidas growled at them. "If you're going to ask Gale something, do it in the morning. He's already exhausted if you haven't noticed."

Ventus Serpenoid was about to retort back, but then the other Bakugan held him back. "But-"

"He's right. Let's just get some sleep."

"F-fine..."

Leonidas exhaled sharply as he sat beside the crimson-haired boy. "...is this going to happen often?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" he responded softly while stifling a yawn.

"Are you always this exhausted when going in to a battle? Is this why you don't want to brawl? If you told me about this before, then I would have gladly gone out and look for another partner."

"...no. What I've said...is true. I've never battled before."

"...you started shouting after you threw me. Why?" everything was still for a few moments. Gale then shifted his whole body to the other side; turning away from Leonidas. "Somehow, you reminded me of the dream I had last night. I saw a barren wasteland with nothing but petrified creatures in it; they were probably Bakugan. I think Dan mentioned it to me before about a place like that. The Doom Dimension." the Haos Bakugan grew stiff; not interrupting the boy. "And then, I was suddenly surrounded by a sea of fire. I think it was all an illusion, but the flames were so huge that I couldn't help but be afraid to go near them. Then a...a white skeletal dragon appeared. It was huge; maybe as big as Drago...or you. It then spoke to me...something about me being the final piece to its plan. I don't know...but his voice shook me terribly. I..."

"...get some rest Gale. You'll need it." Leonidas cut in. The boy shakily nodded and closed his eyes. A few moments after, the Bakugan could hear his steady breathing. He was fast asleep.

"The Doom Dimension. He saw the Doom Dimension..." he muttered to himself. "And what's worse is, it looks like this boy's in great danger." he floated up and pushed the switch up so that it will close the lights. Once that was done, he could see the moonlight streaming down from his window; a pale white light. "Naga...just what are you up to?"

* * *

**A/N : **Woohoo! Quick update! Sorry if it's a little confusing or something...hehe. Maybe I'm doing this too fast...I'll try to slow things down later on. I still have to do the other competitions after all.

Please Review!


	7. Silent

Chapter 6 - Silent

It was a clear breezy day; small clouds were dotted around the sky, shielding the world below from the sunlight. A normal day; but Dan wasn't happy. It was lunch time already and he hasn't seen a single sign of Gale anywhere. He already had the idea that he didn't go to school today, yet what's been bothering him is why. He was worried about his state yesterday, maybe he got sick?

He ate his food half-heartedly under the tree while thinking about his friend. He didn't know brawling could hurt a person that badly. He didn't like the idea of it ever doing such a thing, not one bit. The brunette was so focused on the topic that he didn't realize someone sit beside him until his name was called. "Dan?"

He jerked up almost immediately with a surprised face. "Oh, Shun, I didn't notice you there."

The raven-haired male looked at him with concern. "Something bothering you?"

"Well...it's...my friend..." he muttered; a little hesitant to tell the teen about it.

"Got in to a fight?"

"No, nothing like that. He didn't show up for school today."

"So he's sick?"

"Shun, it's different. Yesterday...I tried to teach him how to brawl. But as soon as his Bakugan came out..." Dan remembered the sudden pained look on his friend's face. He shuddered. "He just passed out. It was like something was trying to hurt him..."

"Is he afraid of Bakugan?"

"No way! He's the Bakugan's Keeper!" Shun looked a little surprised. "Oh, I see..." the two were silent for a while; the sixth-grader's lunch still half-eaten. "If you're that worried, why don't you visit his house after school? I recall you doing the same thing when I was sick." the brunette suddenly laughed. "You weren't sick Shun. You just had a tummy-ache."

"...you didn't tell anyone about what happened did you?"

"'Course not." he beamed. The light atmosphere was cut off with a loud ringing noise, signaling everyone to go back to class in five minutes or else they'll be marked late. "That's my cue." the raven-haired teen stood up and offered his hand to the brunette. He took it and Shun helped him stand after he covered his lunch. "By the way Dan, are you going to join the next Bakugan tournament?"

"Actually, I'm not sure...maybe I'll sit this one out."

"Alright then. See you tomorrow." the seventh-grader took a few steps before disappearing all together in a split second. No matter how many times he's done that to him, it never seizes to amaze the boy. He's known Shun ever since he was six, and even though he's been quite distant ever since, Dan knew that he was just trying to cheer him up. The brunette muttered "Thanks" softly before going to class himself. He couldn't wait for dismissal to roll in.

-o-

It's a normal scene to see Dan running out of the campus like the hyperactive brunette he is. His expressions though can range differently depending on what he's going to do after school. Most often it's a determined look because of the tons of brawls that he's gonna face later on. Sometimes it's serious because he isn't planning on taking the predicted situation that comes in lightly. Other days are a little sad/anxious because of many reasons (most often it's a lost battle.) Today he's wearing a mixture of determination and seriousness...because Dan hates to be left alone in the dark; especially if it concerns his friends.

It wasn't before long that he was in front of the gate of Gale's house. It was a simple home; almost like his except the colors differed and there was no attic present. The brunette had only been here once since his aunt is pretty scary in his opinion. There was a time that he asked where his real parents were, and the crimson-haired boy replied with a simple shrug. _"All I'm sure of is that they're somewhere out there conducting research on something."_

_"You don't even know what they're researching?"_

_"It tends to vary, but most often it's related to space."_

_"And you don't miss them?"_

_He hesitated. "Honestly...I can't even remember their voices."_

The brunette stepped in and pressed on the doorbell. The sound seemed to echo, but no response came...just silence. Dan was about to knock on the door when it opened as soon as he touched it. Blinking a few times, he called out his friend's name. It looked like there was no one home; which was strange since he had presumed that Gale was sick.

He knew that he shouldn't be snooping around, but it was a good opportunity since the place looked deserted. His attention was drawn to the pictures that sat on a cabinet in the living room. One of them had a family of three; his friend looked really young back in the picture. _Oh, so that's how his parents look like._ The boy didn't get a chance to look around carefully before because the red head's older relative would immediately shoo them to his room. The other pictures were almost the same as the one he first saw; they were so far in the past...there wasn't a single frame that held the present Gale. A twelve-year-old kid. Dan suddenly remembered that the boy only moved in to his neighborhood at the start of the school year. And that was around three months ago. So how long has Gale been living with his aunt?

The brunette shook his head and decided to move to his room. Again, the place was quiet...almost too quiet...

Until Dan heard a bunch of muffled shouts coming from a drawer. Not wasting time, he opened it and two Bakugan flew out. "Master? Master are you here?" Ventus Serpenoid yelled as he circled the entire room. "Shoot! They took him away!"

"Took?" the sixth-grader was on high alert. "What happened to Gale?" he then noticed that there were only two balls there. "Hey, where did the other Bakugan go?"

"Saurus and Juggernoid were given to other people." Haos Falconeer replied calmly yet in slight anxiousness. "We're not sure what happened to Leonidas, but I presumed that he went with Master."

"Enough chit-chat Falconeer! We need to find Master now!"

Drago emerged from Dan's pocket after being woken up with the ruckus going on (he had been sleeping the entire afternoon.) "What's going on?"

"It's terrible! They kidnapped Master!" the green Bakugan kept on spinning in circles before finally collapsing on the desk; panting.

"Calm down you guys; where did they take him?"

"I'm...I'm not sure..." the bird-like Bakugan responded. "All I heard was that they took him to a place called a hospital."

* * *

**A/N :** *sighs deeply* First of all, I'm terribly sorry for: 1.) Taking really really long for this chapter. 2.) Making it a short and crappy chapter 3.) Not presenting a complete battle scene YET. 4.) Leaving you in another cliffhanger. Again.

I never expected for the story to expand before the first tournament, but after this little situation will resolve, I think I'll move on to some real strategics. Please be patient guys and bear with me. Review please?


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